Like all landlords we wish to have honest, pleasant, friendly, and tidy tenants who will show respect for each other in the property. We also wish to be sure that individuals in adjacent properties are shown similar respect. With this in mind we always place great emphasis on the face-to-face meetings with prospective tenants.
As is good practice, we do, however, also request other information. For example, after the initial viewing of the property we ask the prospective tenant to provide some documentation such as:
1) A letter of reference from current employer
2) A letter of reference from previous or current landlord
3) A current credit reference report from a reputable credit reference company such as Experian.
4) Under some circumstances other items may be requested
If problems are experienced with the provision of the required set of documents it is possible to discuss supply of alternatives.
Under some circumstances a guarantor for rent payment may be requested.
This is a fairly standard procedure which most landlords are recommended to adopt. This is well documented in many dedicated landlord support sites including PropertyHawk. Online services such as that provided by Credit Check Services are also readily available to facilitate this checking on behalf of landlords. We prefer, however, to carry this out a more personal level and we are happy to discuss, as necessary, this part of the pre-contract process with prospective tenants.
On receipt of the above documents a copy of the tenancy agreement is supplied to the prospective tenant for review. A meeting is then scheduled to progress matters. At that meeting an entry date is usually confirmed and a contract is signed.